Let’s face it, there’s a lot that goes into telling a good story. But one thing that can really make or break it is the dialogue. Throughout this explanation of dialogue and how to write it, I provide a space opera scene written in different iterations to show the strategies for strengthening your dialogue. It starts as a jumbled mess but slowly becomes something worth reading. And at the end, Vivian Sayan offers zhir own scene using the same characters and premise, followed by my critique. I walk through four broad categories, starting with the most basic, dialogue tags (and I throw formatting in there, too). This is a problem so many writers have! Next I move into language patterns, then how to use it to add personality, then how to show and increase conflict. Finally, I explain the four purposes that dialogue can have before handing it over to Vivian!
